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Abu'l Nuqoud
'Abu'l Nuqoud '(1137-1191) was the merchant king of the Sultanate of Damascus during the Third Crusade. Nuqoud lived in the Merchant King's Palace in the rich district of Damascus, where he hosted lavish parties. During the Crusades, he was a political rival of Saladin, opposing his wars to claim the Holy Lands from the Crusaders, and despite his festivities and party-throwing, he was called an abomination by many people because of his homosexuality. He was killed by the Hashshashin in 1191 after he poisoned dozens of guests at one of his parties. Biography Nuqoud was an abnormally large man who had rich tastes, and decorated his palace with the finest arts and the best foods. He made his money through selling merchandise and he tortured the poor, and he made payments to Regent Majd Addin and noble William V of Montferrat, who were members of the Knights Templar order. Abu'l saw the impoverished as a blight upon the land and the cause of the problems in Damascus and the rest of the Near East. He desired to earn the favor of "those who mattered" through hosting lavish parties in the city. He was also a political opponent of Salah ad-Din's war. Because he was a homosexual, many Damascenes called him an abomination, as did the religion of Islam. He stole money from the people of Damascus to feed for his own festival that was being held. For this, he was marked as one of "The Nine" targets set for the Assassins Order to kill. Death Nuqoud toasted to the pleasure of his people, urging them to eat, drink, and take their time. He said that he trusted everything was to their satisfaction, and was pleased that they were happy amidst the dark days. However, he said that the people's generosity led to his campaign to continue, and said that they should be given everything they deserve, but he said that they judged him quickly. He began to say that he could never forgive the people, and was mad that they knew all too well that the deaths of thousands would happen if they supported Saladin. He said that the suffering was born of hate, and that compassion, mercy, and tolerance meant nothing to the infidel invaders and the crowd. He pledged himself to the Knights Templar, a cause in which everyone could live in peace, a world which none of the crowd could see; soon after, everybody began to choke on wine. Altair climbed onto the balcony and chased Abu'l out of the mansion and through the markets. When he caught up, he jumped at Nuqoud and stabbed him in the back of the neck with a hidden blade. Nuqoud said that he served the Templars and funded them with his money as he lay mortally wounded, and he said that the Assassins took the lives of men and women just as the Templars did; a final evil for a greater good. He said that the Templars would have their new world, and died. Category:Syrians Category:Merchants Category:Killed Category:Templars Category:1137 births Category:1191 deaths Category:Ayyubids Category:Ayyubid merchants Category:LGBT people Category:Atheists